"Kate Wilhelm - And the Angels Sing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

He knew. He brought in a floor lamp and turned on the bedside light and watched Mary Beth go to
work. She was a good photographer, and in this instance she had an immobile subject; she could use
timed exposures. She took a roll of film, and started a second one, then drew back. The girl on
the bed was shivering hard again, drawing up her legs, curling into a tight ball.

"Okay. I'll finish in daylight, maybe when it's awake."


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Mary Beth was right, Eddie had to admit; the creature was not a girl, not a female probably. She
was elongated, without any angles anywhere, no elbows or sharp knees or jutting hipbones. Just a
smooth long body without breasts, without a navel, without genitalia. And with that dark growth
that started high on her head and went down the backs of her arms, covered her back entirely. Like
a mantle, he thought, and was repelled by the idea. Her skin was not human, either. It was pale,
with yellow rather than pink undertones. She obviously was very cold; the yellow was fading to a
grayish hue. Tentatively he touched her arm. It felt wrong, not yielding the way human flesh
covered with skin should yield. It felt like cool silk over something firmer than human flesh.

Mary Beth replaced the covers, and they backed from the room as the creature shivered. "Jesus,"
Mary Beth whispered. "You'd think it would have warmed up by now. This place is like an oven, and
all those covers." A shudder passed through her.

In the living room again, Mary Beth began to fiddle with her camera. She took out the second roll
of film, and held both rolls in indecision. "If anyone's nosing around, and if they learn that you
might have seen it, and that we've been together, they might accidentally snitch my film. Where's
a good place to stash it for a while?"

He took the film rolls and she shook her head. "Don't tell me. Just keep it safe." She looked at
her watch. "I won't be back until ten or later. I'll find out what I can, make a couple of calls.
Keep an eye on it. See you later."

He watched her pull on her red raincoat and went to the porch with her, where he stood until she
was in her car and out of sight. Daylight had come; the rain had ended although the sky was still
overcast and low. The fir trees in his front yard glistened and shook off water with the slightest
breeze. The wind had turned into no more than that, a slight breeze. The air was not very cold,
and it felt good after the heat inside. It smelled good, of leaf mold and sea and earth and fish
and fir trees... He took several deep breaths and then went back in.

The house really was like an oven, he thought, momentarily refreshed by the cool morning and now
once again feeling logy. Why didn't she warm up? He stood in the doorway to the bedroom and looked
at the huddled figure. Why didn't she warm up?

He thought of victims of hypothermia; the first step, he had read, was to get their temperature
back up to normal, any way possible. Hot water bottle? He didn't own one. Hot bath? He went to the
girl and shook his head slightly. Water might even be toxic to her. And that was the problem, he
knew; she was an alien with unknown needs, unknown dangers. And she was freezing.